Silver Sliver: Small Brick Townhouse + Skinny Metal Addition

British building codes are strange and wonderful things – imagine trying to get this super-small infill extension past a preliminary plan inspection in the United States. And if it looks little in front, consider this: the facade is the wider portion of this diminutive wedge.

The bold choice by architect John Glew to shift materials makes the relatively tiny new element stand out sharply from the brick-filled context of neighboring townhomes, though a use of similarly-scaled windows, roof angles and other proportions lets it still seem like an appropriate choice for the location.

Zinc cladding and flat-painted trim provide a degree of smooth balance to the textured surfaces of the original structure, while vertical seam lines emphasize the vertical nature of the addition against the existing horizontally-laid brick walls.

Tapering from street to garden side, the modest extension addition simply expands a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and adds a pantry. The interior is, perhaps, the less inspiring part of the plan, if only because its degree of difference is not as clearly reflected as on the outside.